PHILADELPHIA — Steve Landes has been a Beatle longer than John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and George Harrison were.

Since 1998, the Lansdale native has played Lennon in the popular theatrical Beatles revue, “Rain,” returning tonight to the Academy of Music. Before that, he was in several companies of “Beatlemania.” When not in Sgt. Pepper on other Beatles regalia, Landes said he plays his own music and does covers of non-Beatles rock ’n’ roll in Los Angeles clubs, but for most of the year, he dons his wigs, assumes his Liverpudlian accents and takes to the road in “Rain.”

“I grew up around The Beatles,” Landes said by telephone from his Los Angeles home. “My parents were from The Beatles’ generation, and they had all of their records. One time, when I a kid, I found a box of 45s. I dragged them down to my bedroom, played them, and I was hooked. Once I discovered The Beatles, they became a consuming interest.

“The guitar came first. My dad played the guitar, and he taught me a few chords. I trained myself by ear and soon was playing ‘Yesterday.’ I also taught myself how to play the harmonica. Drums are a different story. I dabbled, but I’m definitely not a drummer. Thank goodness for Ringo (Starr), an underrated legend when it comes to that.

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“The Beatles, in general, are underrated when it comes to their musicianship. They really broke new ground when they came on the scene. Paul McCartney is a wonderful guitarist, and George Harrison was one of the best. The great thing about George, from my point of view, is he always knew how far to take a riff and never went so far off the path that he lost the song or indulged in his own artistry as the expense of the number. It is a talent to know what is enough, and George had it.

“John was also talented on the guitar, and the Lennon-McCartney melodies are just beautiful and reflect so much of the music that came before The Beatles. They knew how to incorporate sounds to make their own sound. I don’t think they get enough recognition for that. Their sound is what made them such a popular band, and I think it’s important to remember that first and foremost, they were a band.

“I am a big Beatles fan. I was a teenager when a bus and truck company of ‘Beatlemania’ came to town, and I remember thinking how cool it would be to make a living by pretending to be a Beatle.

“I began practicing. I was determined to audition and be hired for a company of ‘Beatlemania.’ I learned all of the guitar parts. By age 17, I was in the show. ‘Rain’ was already running, but ‘Beatlemania’ received more attention in the late ’70s and ’80s. Everyone in ‘Rain’ and ‘Beatlemania’ knew each other. Playing a Beatle put you into a kind of club.

“We were, and are, more discreet, about our jobs than people who play Elvis. When ‘Rain’ is done for the night, I leave John Lennon in the theater and proceed through life as Steve. No one standing at the stage door would know me, let alone an average person getting a sandwich at the Wawa.

“At some point, ‘Beatlemania’ folded, and the best of the ‘Beatlemania’ and ‘Rain’ casts continued in ‘Rain.’ I’ve been in the main touring cast since 1998. I have played John Lennon that whole time and have, of course, immersed myself in learning about The Beatles and John in particular.

“I have been to Liverpool and visited the clubs The Beatles played and the streets on which they lived. I went to the clubs they played in Germany. I have met Yoko Ono, Sean Lennon, and Cynthia Lennon and hope one day to meet Julian.

“When I met Yoko, I was taken with her sense of humor. It was so much like John’s, really off the wall. I could see how they connected, what drew him to her, and why they remained so close.”

Although “Rain” has made rounds to Philadelphia, Atlantic City, N.J., and Wilmington, Del., for a couple of decades, Landes said the show has changed this year.

“Everything was upgraded,” he said. “The songs will be the same. We rotate them, and there will be some that haven’t been done in a while. The costumes will be the black suits and the Sgt. Pepper gear. But the setting will be entirely different.

“We used to have to adjust to where The Beatles were playing. Lighting or a different formation would indicate ‘The Ed Sullivan Show,’ which The Beatles played four weeks in a row, or Shea Stadium. Now a big new LED screen will project the setting in which the band is playing. The various shots from ‘The Ed Sullivan Show’ will be approximated in the visuals. Projections will actually transport the audience to Shea Stadium.

“The technology is amazing. It totally changes the look and feel of ‘Rain.’ Everything is more colorful, and we can re-created authentic settings and give a better sense of what the concerts looked like. We also take a trip to Abbey Road, Strawberry Fields, and Penny Lane by projection. It’s exciting for us, so I think the audience will really be impressed by it.”

Landes is a musician who has a career beyond “Rain.” He writes music, which he says is melodic in the style of The Beatles, and he covers rock tunes he enjoys.

“The Beatles, especially John and Paul, enjoyed singing songs they liked. They did lots of covers. Even a big favorite like ‘Twist and Shout’ was done first by another group (The Isley Brothers, who had the hit of a song previously recorded on a minor label by The Top Notes).”

Landes said he hopes to gather his music and make a CD of it. He also intends to send some of it to YouTube.

IF YOU GO: “Rain” runs tonight through Sunday at the Academy of Music, Broad and Locust streets in Philadelphia. Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. tonight and Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m. Saturday, and 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sunday. Tickets range from $85 to $20 and can be obtained by calling 215-893-1999, online at kimmelcenter.org/broadway, at the Kimmel Center box office, Broad and Spruce streets (open daily 10 a.m.-6 p.m.) or at the Academy of Music box office, Broad and Locust streets (open during performances only).